Guacamelee is a platforming luchadorean adventure where you must rescue your senorita bonita from the devious and hellish Calaca.

I fully completed the game, with all 60 achievements, in 20 hours. The game was incredibly fun. During the normal playthrough, the keys move and feel great, and the abilities are all super fun and responsive and fitting. The bosses were interesting, and the game was satisfying.

After completion, I enjoyed going around, completing the area and the zones, which was so enjoyable I decided to just complete the entire game again in Hard mode!

Hard mode, however, was a surprise, as parts of it were genuinely hard! Usually, as a longtime gamer, I'll find hard mode to simply be "normal" level of difficulty, but in Guacamelee the bosses and, later on in the last zones, even the mobs, are incredibly challenging, which again gives a satisfying edge for further completion.

I'd highly recommend this game at any price, but as it's an older game it will undoubtedly be on sale soon, so ensure you pick up this very fun and engaging title when it is!

The metroidvania subgenre's popularity has erupted with the popularity of downloadable titles and the burgeoning indie scene. Their emphasis on exploration and character building make them instant favorite for those looking for those looking for retro gaming experiences with contemporary flavor. In addition to that contemporary flavor, Guacamelee is also spiced with chili powder and served with a shot of tequila. It's a south of the border styled adventure packed with plenty of platforming and pugilism as well as a sexy senorita in distress. It also might be, surprisingly, one of the best games you will play all year.

You play as a simple agave farmer named Juan who finds himself having the worst Día de los Muertos celebration ever when and evil Charro named Calaca abducts El Presidente's daughter and sends Juan to the underworld. In a small stroke of luck Juan is resurrected and transformed into a luchadore so that he may rescue El Presidente's daughter and stop Calaca from wreaking havoc among the living. The plot is Guacamelee is what pico de gallo is to a taco, it provides color and flavor but certainly isn't the main attraction. The healthy dose of humor and Mexican culture and folklore do distinguish Guacamelee from its contemporaries however and give it a unique ambiance.

Unlike most metroidvania styled games, Guacamelee places a huge emphasis on platforming and some optional areas have an almost Super Meat Boy like difficulty requiring quick and precise actions to traverse the obstacles laid out. Most of Juan's offensive repertoire doubles as a means to navigate the environment. A Street Fighter style flaming uppercut acts as a super jump, a charging maneuver that can be devastating to your foes is also effective when it comes to smashing blocks. By the end of the game these abilities can be combined into lengthy, deadly combos and used to reach far off platforms. Juan also eventually gains the ability to swap between the world of the living and the world of the dead and much like The Gianna Sisters, things change between worlds, opening up new passageways and allowing Juan to reach previously inaccessible areas.

The fundamentals of combat are simple enough on the surface with one button throwing punches, another dedicated to special attacks and one used to grapple enemies once enough damage has been doled out. Grapples are very effective for crowd control since once an enemy is in Juan's grasp the game slows down and an arrow indicates where your foe will be tossed and throwing your enemies into each other is always a good idea. Special grapple maneuvers can also be purchased at the games save points for additional offensive options. Costumes, health and stamina upgrades are also available for purchase. Combat starts out simple enough but over the course of the game's six or so hours enemy types are mixed up and combined with the platforming ca pose a satisfactory challenge. Some enemies have shields that require a particular special to bring down. Bosses also challenge your mastery of Juan's skills and many offer multiple phases.

As with any metroidvania game backtracking is a necessity if you want to grab every secret that Guacamelee has to offer and this is made painless as a result of a fantastic map and plentiful fast travel points. Blocks that require specific abilities to break are color coded and their location is marked on your map making them easy to find on repeat visits once Juan has the proper skills to smash them. Chests are also marked on the map. Rounding out the distractions are a handful of side missions who can be found by talking to the citizens of the two towns you are able to visit. These missions involve everything from simple mini games to talking to every citizen in an effort to gather the ingredients necessary to make the world greatest enchilada. The only problem with these side missions is that they are very centralized and don't really require any exploration. It's easy to complete most of them within a matter of minutes.

69 of 81 people (85%) found this review helpful6 people found this review funny

Recommended

10.8 hrs on record

Posted: September 25, 2015

Guacamelee is an action platformer that was released in August 2013, published and developed by DrinkBox Sudios. Originally pinned as a Sony exclusive on the PS3 and Vita, it was however later ported to PC before eventually getting the "Gold Edition" releasing on all of the platform in mid 2014. Guacamelee is heavily based on Mexican culture and lore.

You play the role of Juan, a powerful luchador fighter. You will be fighting various different enemies in this platforming metroidvania style game. You start off with a very basic arsenal of attacks which you can pull off such as a basic three attack combo, but eventually you can work you way up to combos which can consist of eight plus button presses! (I never managed to pull off one of these more than once). Juan will also learn a various number of "out of combat" skills, such as wall jumping and the ability to turn into a chicken. The platforming element of Guacamelee was probably the most annoying for me, mainly because I am just terrible at the genre, but I found the jumping puzzles to be just tedious and grew very thin on my patience at times. The fighting side of the game is done very well; the combo system and special moves you can pull off are all really well done - some fights you will end up getting swamped by enemies, but it won't matter since you can throw together a number of punches which will just knock them out with ease.

Graphically, there isn't too much to shout about, it's a 2d side scroller so generally nothing spectacular is going to be seen, however the art style on show is gorgeous. This really portrays the Mexican style of game extremely well, and is probably the game's best feature. It looks very similar to the recent release of "The Book of Life" from 2014. Whilst it has a cartoon look to it, there is still an element of maturity and darkness in some of the scenes.

The plot in Guacamelee! was nice. It is your typical adventure style story, the humble farmer who is in love with the El Presidente's daughter, the daughter then gets kidnapped, and it is your task to rescue her so you can live happily ever after. The plot is very well thought out, offers a couple of cliffhangers and interesting twists and turn a long the way. Guacamelee also has a couple of comical moments in too to lighten the mood.

Guacamelee is another game which doesn't have voice acting in; I would really of liked to have seen (or heard) it included, because there is quite a bit of text to read through and I would of thought that having voice acting would make people get more immersed into this wonderful world on show. Having said that, the sound track is amazing. It is playing pretty much constantly throughout the game, and it never wears thin.

As I said above, the I found the platforming side of the game to be the most annoying, mainly because it is super difficult to progress in the game due to a number of jumping puzzles which had me close to rage quiting a number of times. Eventually you will get past them, it just takes perseverance and a lot of patience (something I am slowly finding out that I don't have very much of). Most of the fight scenes are easily mastered and you probably won't find your self dying an awful lot in this game. The opportunity to raise the difficulty level may change this though, which is something more confident veteran combo fighters will want to check out.

The world in which Guacamelee is set in, is very well fleshed out. There are plenty of NPCs to interact with, loads of side quests to find and complete, most of which are of no relevance to the main story, and is just an extra way to generate funds. Touching again on the topic of special abilities, you will also find your self backtracking to a degree in the game so you can use the new abilities you have just unlocked to reach places which you couldn't before, to unlock chests, health bonuses etc. You will also find a number of shops scattered around the world where you can purchase health and stamina upgrades along with a number of other power ups.

A full playthrough of Guacamelee took me almost eleven hours to complete; this was with the inclusion of the majority of the side quests too. I would say that eleven hours is just the right amount for me. The game also has a local co-op mode which you will find adds a whole new element to the game as well and is certainly worth a second playthrough on this mode, easily touching this game up to the twenty hour mark - and then of course there are the higher difficulty modes you can play on should you desire so. There is plenty of content on offer in Guacamelee to sink your teeth into.

No technical issues here; played on 4k resolution, at a steady 60 FPS as should be expected from a 2d side scroller. You will need a controller to play this game to any degree of competency though, simple because the jumping puzzles and combos would just be ridiculously hard to counter on a keyboard. The options menu also includes a wide variety of options when it comes to selecting resolutions and frame rates too, which is always nice to see.

In conclusion, Guacamelee! is a really rounded out game, which is certainly one of the best indie titles to come out in recent years. The addition of local co-op makes this game even better, and fans of metroidvania style games really need to check this out. The price of £9,99 is an absolute bargain for the amount of content on show here too.

Tom's Score Card1) Stay away2) Only recommended when on sale3) Recommended4) Highly recommended5) This is a must play

As great as this Gold Edition is, there is a new Super Turbo Championship Edition. So why bother getting this version when they're the same price?

Guacamelee is a joy to play platforming beat'em up done in a Metroidvania style with a lot of flair and fresh ideas for an old genre. The combat is excellent. Easy to play, tough to master. Attack button, special attack, roll trigger and jump are the basics you need to know. You can uppercut enemies into the air, jump and punch them, roll through enemy attacks and hazards, grapple enemies to throw them in any direction you want. There is good stuff here. Then as the game progresses, you unlock special moves, like jumping uppercuts, wall jumps, double jumps, headbutts, frog stomps, wall climbs where you shoot yourself straight until something stops you. All of this is considered combat, but in Guacamelee it is also a means of traversing. Jump uppercut will let you break red walls or its used as an extra boost while in mid air. Now just that, but the game's enemies will eventually have shields that can only be broken by special attacks. The shields are all color coated, such as jumping uppercuts break red walls and red shields. Yellow shields and walls are broken by headbutts and so on. Then on top of that there's an extra layer of day and night worlds or living and dead worlds. You flip through them to traverse or take out enemies that can only take damage in the living or day. They still hit you if you're not in their world, but you just can't hit them.

Each world full of bright, vibrant and beautiful colors. The game is a joy to look at as well as play. Great simple story, the president's daughter has been kidnapped and you are killed, but resurrected by a luchadore mask. Everything has a lucha Mexican vibe to it and that makes the game feel so fresh and different instead of space worlds or never ending castles. The world isn't that big and really it feels like there are a few specific combat areas tied together by a major town. There's no real chance to get lost, since you have a map and the map will always point you to your objective, without revealing rooms that you've been in.

While the combat is easy and joyful enough, the game really starts getting tricky with your powers. Such as having to wall jump back and forth all while switching between the living and dead worlds. Timing plays a big part in the later areas. There are plenty of side rooms with parts of heart and stamina containers that will really test your skills and timing, but since there are frequent easy challenges, it makes the big challenges seem less daunting and have a 'one more try' mentality.

I have completed the game on PSN and it seems like the Gold Edition on Steam is just easier when it comes to bosses. The bosses are simpler and I can't say that's a bad thing. Maybe its because there is no difficulty setting for the Gold Edition. Steam also offers character skins in the Steam Workshop, which is always nice.

On PSN I completed the game in 4 or so hours and that's when it was more difficult. That might not be enough play time in some people's opinion, but it was an absolute joy to play and well worth the time and money. I'd much rather have a game be short and sweet than long and boring.

Guacamelee! is a colorful 2D action platformer by Canadian developer DrinkBox set in a vibrant and thoroughly unique world inspired by Mexican folklore. The players take over the role of an agave farmer Juan who becomes a luchador after El Presidente’s Daughter is kidnapped by a charro skeleton Carlos Calaca. It’s as zaney as it sounds, but it just works. The story is basic and presented only in text, the writing isn’t great, but you’ll get a few chuckles out of it here and there.

The first thing you’ll notice are the fantastic audiovisuals that set the tone beautifully. The game world is a wonderful fusion of vibrant colors and cheerful music. The soundtrack is simply awesome, it sounds as if a house DJ remixed a mariachi band. Both of these elements come together to create a game world that is simply a joy to explore.

Considering that Juan is a luchador, the combat is melee-based – as the game title itself suggests. It starts off very basic with only a few moves, but you will unlock a healthy amount of varied and satisfying special moves during the course of the game. These are mostly wrestling moves such as the body slam or the headbutt. Different enemies will require different tactics and moves and they will sometimes be color-coded which means that only a specific attack can hurt them. Also, the game will at one point introduce a dimension-shifting mechanic which will alternate between the living and the dead worlds. Certain enemies can only be beaten in a specific dimension. Once the game starts throwing enemies in different colors and dimensions, the combat gets incredibly frenetic and intense due to the amount of stuff you need to consider. The fast-paced combat feels good thanks to sharp controls and the variety of moves at your disposal. Guacamelee! is a really tough game and you have to be vigilant at all times as you will often get beaten to a pulp. But it just feels so good that I always felt compelled to keep trying and get it right.

Outside of combat, there’s a fairly nice-sized world to explore full of secrets to find. But it will be incredibly hard getting to those goodies. This is where the platforming and dimension swapping come into its own. Certain platforms, walls or columns will only be visible in a certain dimension and the game will often make you switch dimensions mid-jump. It can get pretty nerve-wracking as the game demands pinpoint precision. Once again, the stellar controls make it worthwhile to persevere even though the fiendish difficulty will try its best to break your spirit.

Guacamelee’s retro design is both its strength and weakness. There’s no question that the design is strong, but it will at times give in to needless trial and error drowning the player in frustrating repetition. It will also feel cheap at times with enemies that will strike in moments when you really can’t do anything. But the sense of accomplishment is great indeed. I would say that a game like this is more enjoyable on the second run. Once you’ve unlocked all your powers and moves, the level of frustration drops down significantly.

In the end, Guacamelee! does what it sets out to do masterfully. Despite the overly punishing difficulty and a few design quibbles, it’s a great game worth playing for its fantastic world, frenetic combat and satisfying platforming.

32 of 33 people (97%) found this review helpful1 person found this review funny

Recommended

19.4 hrs on record

Posted: June 14, 2015

NOTE: Before you start, bear in mind that there's a better version that was released later and can be bought for the same price, more or less. I strongly recommend that you check that one. However, if, for some reason, the GOLD edition is on sale and the TURBO isn't, there isnt really THAT MUCH to miss. Newer release here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/275390/?snr=1_5_1100__1100

Guacamelee! is a game that brings nothing new to the front table. Its roots are pretty obvious, as it's a game that pays a staggering homage to the likes of Metroid and Castlevania. However, it adds nice puzzle elements and blends everything with such finesse and precision that elevates this game way beyond the "old school tribute" that many Indy games seem to be around these days, as it's safe to say, the boys from Drinkbox Studios went the extra mile and dwelled way pass their confort zone.

The graphics are amazing, the art has that Comic book feel to it and the colors are warm and well put together. Every character has their own feel and, despite their all sharing that Mexican Luchadore vybe with the masks, skulls and marching mariachis, they have their own sense of indivuality so the game wont bore you with that. Soundtrack is nice as well and the sound effects are really retro, part what I like most about this.

Apart from the challenging puzzles, the part that I liked most was certainly the bosses, specially the Leopard fight, it was one of the hardest and most fun I've ever faced.

Finally, a Metroidvania-style game I can really get into. The beat-em-up gameplay is simple yet satisfying most of the time, including some challenging and well-designed boss fights. The game's aesthetics are the real clincher for me, though, with the great blocky luchador art and FANTASTIC Mexican-electronic-fusion soundtrack. Totally worth it.

Guacamelee is likely my favorite title of any video game ever, which makes it a good thing the game that actually bares it is so awesome! Drinkbox Studios, developers of one of my other favorites from recent years, Mutant Blobs Attack, has completely outdone themselves with not only their best creation yet, but one of the most fun and charming games of the year.

In a world that all but worships Luchadores, Juan is just a normal guy who hope he may one day have a shot with the governor's daughter. But when a band of demon's attack he is sent on a one way trip to the land of the dead, he must don the mask and become a Luchadore to save his beloved (and as it turns out, the entire world).

It's a setup seen a million times, but here it's tweeted and turned into a hilarious and unexpectedly engaging tale. Full of terrific and hilarious writing, as well as fantastic characters that while encompassing cliched roles, are all fully developed and likable (even the villains, crazy as it may sound). If this was a movie I'd have been impressed, but when paired with the great gameplay it's truly an amazing experience.

For fans of metroidvanias, this is the equivalent of being serenaded by a mariachi band outside your window. The world strikes the perfect balance between size and navigability,making it almost impossible to get lost but hiding tons of secrets to find. In classic fashion certain areas are blocked off until you collect the requisite move, but what Guacamelee does that not many games of this sort do is make almost every move you gain equally usable in combat and exploration, keeping both parts fresh throughout.

The combat system is easy to understand and yet full of depth in how you use it. Only a few buttons are used but combining them can produce a wealth of different moves, and it's up to you to make the most of them to rack up huge combos, or just stick to the basics and punch everyone in the face. Boss fights require a bit more planning in how you approach them, and this does present a slight problem as they put up a much better fight than most of their minions. Thankfully it's usually just a matter of memorizing their patterns in order to finally beat them.

Platforming is the other half of the package, and the level designs are outstanding. Utilizing familiar moves like double jumps and wall jumping, they place you in new and creative scenarios that proved a joy to navigate. It's not until you begin to use one the most prominent mechanics though, switching between the world of the dead and that of the living, that the levels really take off. Because some platforms (and in combat, enemies) can only be seen in one realm or the other you have to quickly switch between them as you jump from point to point in an amazing display of platforming genius. Even the early sections top anything Mutant Blobs had to offer, and the quality only goes up from their.

A couple of minor playability problems do pop up, with the somewhat clunky controls being chief among them. Because you are required to use the stick and buttons in conjunction with one another to pull off most special moves, it can lead to problems where you are pressing the stink in the opposite direction you need to be heading often sending you off a cliff or into the path of an enemy. They aren't bad, but they could have been better and make some of the more difficult sections terribly frustrating. I also wish that side-missions were highlighted on your map, as there isn't any indication of them in the game and without the achievements informing me of their existence I'd likely have missed them.

Despite these minor issues Guacamelee is an all around excellent experience that makes it easy to gloss over the few rough spots. The art style is brilliant and creative, the gameplay very enjoyable, and the soundtrack a freaking incredible blending of contemporary hip-hop and rock, and traditional Mexican Ranchera music. It's a great deal of fun and incredibly charming though and through, and most of all a game everyone should take the time to play.